Canada and Europeans Agree on Fishing Rights

Published: April 16, 1995

OTTAWA, April 16—
Canada and the 15-member European Union agreed today to sweeping new enforcement measures dealing with fish stocks in the North Atlantic, Canadian Fisheries Minister Brian Tobin announced.

"We will now have a new mandatory enforcement regime which will apply to 100 percent of Canada and E.U. fishing in areas regulated by NAFO outside of 200 miles," Mr. Tobin said, referring to the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization.

He said he had received a written commitment from the European Union that the agreement would be ratified by a meeting of European ambassadors in Brussels on Sunday.

The agreement, which includes tough new measures for enforcing fishing regulations in the North Atlantic, capped a tense day on international waters off Canada's east coast. Canadian naval, coast guard and fisheries vessels were at the nose of the Grand Banks or en route today to monitor Spain's 15 trawlers and two naval patrol ships.

The dispute erupted again on Friday after diplomats from the European Union failed in Brussels to agree on quotas for harvesting turbot, also called Greenland halibut.

The ambassadors spent almost 15 hours on Friday in official and behind-the-scenes discussions trying to settle the dispute over what Canada says is illegal fishing by Spanish boats that threatens the survival of the Greenland halibut, the last commercially viable species on the Grand Banks fishing grounds.

The bitter dispute, which had sparked nationalistic fervor in both countries, began March 9 when Canada detained the Spanish trawler Estai after firing shots over its bow in international waters.

Since then, there have been other incidents, including the cutting of Spanish fishing nets by Canadian vessels.